Oftentimes I’ll exaggerate and say that a company is making a toy that nobody asked for, but today I’m discussing a toy that literally nobody asked for–the Summer 2013 LEGO Star Wars Jek-14’s Stealth Starfighter 75018! No, it’s not that no one asked for poor Jek-14 because he’s unpopular–it’s because no one had ever heard of him or his starship until LEGO announced it for release! Shrouded in secrecy, Jek-14’s Stealth Starfighter is the most mysterious LEGO Star Wars set ever…

When you talk about sets that came totally out of the blue, Jek-14’s Stealth Starfighter must be near the top of that list. As soon as the name “Jek-14” turned up on rumor lists, discussions ran rampant as to who this character was, with guessing ranging from a character from Knights of the Old Republic to a secret agent droid!

As it turns out, the LEGO Star Wars Jek-14’s Stealth Starfighter 75018 comes from LEGO’s original storyline, “The Yoda Chronicles”, which will debut on TV May 20th 2013. Until that happens, LEGO fans will probably still going to be scratching their collective head trying to determine exactly what this Stealth Starfighter is and what its role in the Clone Wars is.

One thing that LEGO Star Wars fans figured out instantly, however, is that the 75018 Jek-14 Stealth Starfighter looks suspiciously like the popular Star Wars E-Wing Starfighter! The slope of the wings and the basic shape of the ship are undeniably inspired by the Republic E-Wing Starfighter–could this be a test model or prototype for that ship?

Who is Jek-14? That is the question! Friend or foe? Human or droid? No one knows but LEGO, and they’re not telling (yet)! With vacant eyes and one transparent arm (which is rumored to be able to morph into an energy weapon), Jek-14 is a pretty enigmatic guy!

Uhhh… I think the best way to describe Jek-14’s alternate face print on the other side of his double-sided head is… “totally insane”? This is obviously something that will be covered in “The Yoda Chronicles” story (or at least I hope so).

Is that… a blueberry Stormtrooper minifigure? Officially this has been designated the Special Forces Clone Trooper minifigure, but I wonder just what “special” forces unit in the Republic dresses up their clones in freakish bright blue armor?  I’m definitely intrigued by his handheld energy shield, though.

As for the Separatist Bounty Hunter minifigure–I don’t have a lot to say about that one. We know nothing about the character yet and the minifigure looks pretty boring.

Concluding the weirdness, we’ve got Jek-14’s astromech droid, R4-G0. Astute Star Wars fans will immediately notice that despite having an R5 droid dome, this droid is still designated as an R4 unit. There’s probably a story there, but whether or not we’ll get it from LEGO is anybody’s guess!

LEGO 75018 Jek-14’s Stealth Starfighter is due out in August 2013 with an MSRP of $69.99 for 550 pieces. Its success at retail will lie largely upon the popularity of the Yoda Chronicles story that LEGO is airing this summer–if the Yoda Chronicles bomb, then this set is bound for the discount bin.